Spring is often viewed as a season of new beginnings and transformations. In many cultures, the practice of spring cleaning takes place in order to start fresh from the dark, dreariness of the short winter days when we spend most of our time indoors. In this newsletter and in the spirit of the season, we'll discuss everything from busted brackets to spring cleaning!

Also, I highly encourage you to get those events on the books sooner rather than later. We continue to see hotels at maximum capacity, even for 2025 events. If you need help drafting an event/hotel RFP or want us to handle your contract(s) and/or meeting logistics, we will set you up for your next event. Our team manages a wide facet of events whether it is a small board meeting at the DFW airport, a corporate retreat to the mountains or Caribbean, an annual meeting at your company's HQ, a customer appreciation event at the baseball field, or a user conference in a bustling city center. This area is a niche for us and a task that our clients can easily outsource to an experienced team like Peacock.

-Lisa

Before we start talking about spring cleaning, our timing would be amiss if we didn't at least mention the NCAA Tournament and The Masters. In our opinion, spring has not Sprung without these two events.

The NCAA's March Madness definitely lived up to its name with our very own hometown team, the Furman Paladins responsible for ruining a whopping 8,128,617 brackets! In fact, 2023 is the first Final Four EVER without ANY No. 1, 2, or 3 seeded men's teams. And, the last time there were 3 first-time Final Four participants was in 1970 when Jacksonville, New Mexico State and St. Bonaventure all made it for the first — and still only — time. If you were lucky enough to make it past the first round without a busted bracket, how far did you make it?? Drop us a line if you won big!

"Hello Friends!" is the quote from Jim Nantz which signals the beginning of Masters week. Over 80 golfers will be driving down Magnolia Lane for their quest to win the green jacket. A rare landscaping edit to this year's course is the lengthening of the par 5 13th hole, named Azalea, making the hole 545 yards for the tournament, which cost Augusta National approximately $27 million to purchase the land from Augusta Country Club in order to make the change. When you step on the grounds of Augusta National, seemingly no detail has been overlooked. Unlike in 1968 when Roberto de Vincenzo mistakenly signed an incorrect scorecard, allowing Bob Goalby to win instead. de Vincenzo's playing partner, Tommy Aaron, wrote down a par instead of a birdie on the 17th hole, causing him to sign for a 66 instead of a 65. This lack of attention to detail resulted in his loss in one of the biggest tournaments in the golfing world.

The Peacock Marketing team knows how important attention to detail is. We rely on skill and years of expertise to help your projects and events look polished and professional. We know that the smallest attribute can make a big impact on your business which is why our team takes details of all sizes seriously. Let us handle your project or event for you; our attention to detail is what sets us apart!

Coincidentally, we received TWO unsolicited, historical boxes this week for the same association -- from two different people. The boxes were full of photos, bulletins, historical publications, and more -- some items dating back as far as 1931. Using this information, we were able to determine that an upcoming annual meeting will be the organization's 96th annual meeting! And what better place to hold that meeting than at the Kansas City Royals baseball stadium!

This is SPRING CLEANING at its finest and we were the lucky recipients of these wonderful finds! Thank you Mickey Brutsche and Jeff Kelling.

Get it in gear THIS SATURDAY, April 8, from 10am until 1pm, for the City of Greenville's Shredding & E-Waste Recycling spring event. Four shredding trucks will be at the Public Works campus, located at 475 Fairforest Way. At this free event, citizens can dispose of unwanted electronics and have their sensitive documents destroyed and recycled securely.

All paper to be shredded must be bagged or boxed, and each person is limited to three large trash bags or three small boxes of paper. Four shredding trucks will be onsite and paper will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis until they are full.

City residents and businesses can also drop off the following items for free during this special event: TVs, computer monitors, keyboards, mice, wires, circuit boards, CPUs, scanners and printers. There is a strict limit of 10 electronic items per person. More info.

Peacock Marketing recently built the new Easley Combined Utilities website giving its customers the ability to pay their bill, view power outages in their area, and the option to report an outage. Its sleek new design features an energy quiz, electric safety tips as well as Commission meeting dates and minutes, making access for their customers easy and hassle-free. Take a look!

We've also been working with Dana III Strategies on their newly launched logo and website, giving it an updated bold presence. The Peacock team was able marry the caliber of services they offer to the high-quality aesthetic feel of their website in order to articulate a concise message to their clients. The end result is a strong, distinctive appearance!

We always try to include some personal tidbits about our team in each newsletter. With so many conversations being done electronically versus in person, it's easy to lose touch and maintain that personal, yes-we're-human relationship. Below are a few Easter memories and traditions from our team.

For those of you who know me, you likely recognize some things out of sorts with this photo. I’m the one on the left, pictured with my sister. For starters, a dress, tights, bonnet, and a bow are not my usual attire! Each spring, I was dragged to Ruth’s Originals in Hendersonville to pick out a “special” outfit for Easter. The fancy outfit probably scarred me for life and influenced my love for denim today. PS - I wore a lovely pair of smoky-blue corduroy knickers, ruffled pilgrim blouse, and matching beret to Thanksgiving one year as well.

One of my favorite Easter memories is my daughter dressing up the dog for Easter, and for any occasion, when she was little. She often dressed the dog in socks, shoes, beads, reindeer antlers…the list goes on. The bunny ears were particularly funny because the dog would hop around to try to shake off the costume. I’m sure the dog was awarded with some carrots. My children love dogs -- and are partial to Golden Retrievers. Pure love in this picture; although, I'm not so sure the dog loved it.

My family started making the Easter Bunny cake sometime in the 1970s. I remember my mom seeing it in a magazine. I was always so impressed with the shape and later learned that it's simply made from two cake rounds. I loved adding coconut to the outside to make it look like "fur" and of course it wasn't complete without licorice whiskers and jelly bean tie. If you've never made it, you probably know someone who has. Try it this year!

My birthday is April 10th and every now and then it falls on Easter. I remember my mom's mom, we called her Mommom, coming from Pennsylvania to my other grandmother's house in North Carolina for this particular Easter. I had my favorite pink party dress on and got to have pink peeps... even though they are not a favorite of mine. My Aunt Monie, one of the funniest ladies I knew, also made the trip. The day started with an easter egg hunt and ended with a birthday cake and gifts. As a kid, how can you top that?!

When I think of Spring and Easter, I immediately think of Easter egg hunts. When my boys were little, they would start making me hide eggs about a month before Easter, and we would keep up theses hunts for at least a month or so after Easter. We did this for HOURS every day! Each year, I put the eggs back in the attic a little sooner just to catch a little break! To be honest, I actually enjoyed this time with my kids. Now at 22 and 19 years old, I think I could only get them interested in an egg hunt if there was money inside!

Easter always has been one of my favorite holidays; the spring flowers, the egg hunts, the bright colored dresses we wear. It signals the end of the cold, dark days and the beginning of longer brighter days.

Instead of taking trips to far off places for Spring Break like many people do, we used that time to drive down to the low country of South Carolina to visit my dad. During our visits, he would regale my children with stories of days gone by in his deep low country drawl. Or, we'd hop in the old car, and explore the back roads under the live oaks that were dripping with Spanish Moss. It was special to reconnect with family and I'll always cherish those spring time memories!

Have you heard of an anti-bottle? These Vapur reusable water bottles roll up, freeze, and are even dishwasher safe too. It makes the normal water bottle suddenly feel really old school.

They are a fresh and cool alternative to standard water bottles because they are easy to fill, carry, and store. And, they can be customized with your logo and are available in more than 20 colors. These are great employee gifts or great for event takeaways.

Clean data is important and is an invaluable resource for any business. Sometimes these procedures might be taken for granted, but making a plan to follow them can help keep things running smoothly by remembering these three easy steps! You may even want to have a dedicated person or team to solely manage this task. At a prior company, we actually had a queue in the database called "the hospital" and it's where the sales and marketing teams sent all the bounces and broken items that needed fixing. This process worked very well.

1. Establish a routine for cleansing data - whether you decide on a monthly, quarterly, or an annual schedule, initiating a plan to revisit and update your data is crucial. Make a calendar invite and repeat it accordingly to the schedule that works for your business.

2. Repair incorrect or duplicate data - duplicate data can bog down lists and cost your business money. It is important to eliminate records that are repetitive. Most databases have simple parameters that can be set in order to find dupes within the system. Misspellings and typos can also pose many challenges. During your routine data cleanse, make it a priority to incorporate ways to make these repairs.

3. Validate data - the final step in the data cleansing process is validation. Make sure your employees are adhering to the standardization of your data collection process in order to keep your information at its highest quality. Evaluating how you collect, source, and input your data can impact its caliber.

The Peacock team recently planned a Board of Director's meeting where each member was flying in from a different city. For many years, ORD dominated this space (out of convenience -- definitely not weather, LOL), but we felt that venue was getting older and more tired by the minute. We knew there was something better.

The Grand Hyatt DFW is located IN the airport's D Terminal at DFW, mere steps away from TSA! It's also centrally-located in the US, scoring more bonus points. From the floor-to-ceiling windows to the tech-forward controls, we were pleasantly surprised with their facility, rooms, and the ease of in/out for small meetings without even leaving the airport. Their service team was fantastic and efficient too. Check out this review from Travel & Leisure to see for yourself!

We've done alot of events in alot of cities over the years, and two of our personal Peacock favorites over the past decade are the St. Regis Deer Valley and the JW Marriott Marco Island. Both had impeccable facilities, outstanding service, and teams that were top notch. It's rare that a meeting planner loves a hotel -- we're known to be slightly "picky" -- but these two nailed it.

From a guest perspective, two fan-favorite event locations are Jackson Hole, WY and Maui, HI. From the Tetons and the national parks to helicopter rides and sunrises, the beauty of the surroundings make for some pretty incredible event locations! And who doesn't want to go to Hawaii for work!?

If you need help negotiating hotel contracts or finding a spot for your next event, please let us know. In many cases, this can even be done for NO out-of-pocket cost to you. Contact us at info@peacockmarketing.net if you want to know more.

Let us plan your next corporate event! From small board meetings to company-wide meetings to user conferences, our team knows events. It's all in the details.

We can do it all:

• negotiating the hotel contract
• setting up optional activities & excursions
• coordinating speakers and agenda
• managing the food & beverage orders / vendors
• ordering AV
• preparing a budget
• sending group communication
• running the registration desk
• providing on-site support

Just want to get away from work and go on a vacation? Everyone needs to go "off the grid" once in awhile for non-business travel. And, spring is as good of a time than any to recharge! Our customer, Young Travel, has an exclusive relationship with the Virtuoso network that means their clients have access to preferred rates, room upgrades, and Virtuoso-only amenities just to name a few!

Contact Young Travel to book or use the Virtuoso link to self-book and still get the perks! Their recent newsletter is chock full of ideas on where to escape!

What's next on your project list? What do you want to move OFF your plate and onto ours? Email Us: info@peacockmarketing.net

Call us: Lisa (864) 569-5949 | Terri (864) 901-7563 | Karen (843) 422-5012 | Devon (864) 630-9196 | Blair (864) 350-7282 | Elizabeth (864) 630-7100 | Kacee (864) 684-0273